A spokesperson for the California Department of Water Resources, which has been managing drought conditions in the western state, told the San Francisco Gate how water levels in Lake Oroville increased by 20ft in less than a week.

“We haven’t seen the water level rise like this since we’ve had the drought over the past approximately four years,” he said.

“Weakening” force?

Earlier this month, the US Climate Prediction Centre predicted the current strong El Nino - where unusually warm weather brings on powerful storms and floods - to “gradually weaken through 2016”.

“Most models indicate that a strong El Nino will weaken with a transition during the late spring or early summer."

“The forecasters are in agreement with the model consensus, though the exact timing of the transition is difficult to predict,” an El Nino advisory status reads.

NASA analysis of its Jason-2 satellite and research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration details higher than average sea levels, while last month temperatures in the Pacific equaled 1997 records.

The space agency indicate the tropical weather cycle could enter a period of cooling but give no guarantees.

But tell that to the inhabitants of the west coast of the United States and South America.

Massive tidal waves, some reported to be 16 ft in height, have been seen smashing into the coast of Chile.